Materials Science Abounds at the 1993 MRS Fall Meeting
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Wolfgang Kratschmer (left), professor at the Max-Planck-lnstitute fur Kernphysik, and Donald R. Huffman, professor in the Department of Physics at the University of Arizona display their 1993 Medals Awards 'lor the discovery of a way to produce macroscopic quantities of the fullerenes and for elucidating many of their physical and chemical properties."
The 1993 MRS Fall Meeting in Boston brought with it a celebration of the Materials Research Society's 20th anniversary. In addition to the technical symposia coordinated by meeting chairs Philippe M. Fauchet (University of Rochester), David B. Poker (Oak Ridge National Laboratory), and Alan I. Taub (Ford Research Laboratory), the meeting offered a glimpse into the history of MRS and the development of materials science over the past two decades. The meeting, held November 29 through December 3 and attracting an estimated 3,800 attendees, was embellished with a photo display showing the chronology of MRS events, plus introductory historical remarks kicking off some of the technical symposia. Symposium AA, designated the Balluffi Fest, also celebrated past accomplishments. It was a tribute to the progress in understanding atomic-scale imperfections in honor of Robert W. Balluffi's exemplary career. The meeting was also a time for look-
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ing into the materials research "crystal ball." A panel discussion in Symposium A, Materials Synthesis and Processing Using Ion Beams, looked at prospects for new commercial processes and applications of ion beams for cutting tools, aircraft parts, silicon-on-insulator (SOI) processing, and others. In another session, Tom Seidel, chief scientist at Sematech, and Tadahiro Ohmi, Tohoku University, described the status of the semiconductor industry and where it's headed, including prospects for SOI technology and wide bandgap materials. Ohmi described the aim for human intelligence systems; current technology achieves the equivalent of 103 neurons, still a far cry from the human brain's 1010 neurons. A panel discussion during the Symposium on the Scientific Basis for Nuclear Waste Management examined the objectives and limitations of scientific studies for determining appropriate management of nuclear waste. Panelists acknowledged that there are diverse views about what scientific solution is optimum. They neared consensus, however, on the need to incorporate flexibility in a system, so the system can be altered based on subsequent research findings. Panelists were also of the opinion that the government's expectation of 10,000-year predictions is a major impediment to the institution of any system. Symposium I, Developing Materials Processes for Factories, addressed manufacturing issues in materials science. It was led off by NSF Director, John H. Hopps, who spoke about the Clinton administration's role in manufacturing. Other sessions presented examples of process development in a variety of materials classes. Biology continued its growing link with materials science. Bioelectronics, particularly bacteriorhodopsin, was the subject o
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